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President Milei has said he will not give up on Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Falklands (Image: Getty)
Argentina could be inspired to invade the Falkland Islands following strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, a veteran has warned. David Cummins, 68, who served in the Royal Navy during the 1982 conflict, on HMS Antelope and the Valiant submarine, suggested that what President Donald Trump is doing could convince Argentina to take action of its own and attack the British overseas territory off the country’s eastern coast.
He said: “I’m not saying Argentina are necessarily going to do it at this particular time. But, if you’re going to do it, this is the time to do it, because the international order is no longer respected.” What Trump is doing risks emboldening leaders of countries to step outside international law and “do what they want to do”, the veteran added.
When asked if people could be distracted by what is going on in the Middle East, Mr Cummins, who now lives in Milton Keynes, said: “Oh, absolutely.”
He added: “I do think that, if you’re interested in the Falkland Islands, you must be thinking this is a particular time when the world is in a little bit of chaos, that if you’re going to do something, this would be the time to do it.”
Veterans Chris Anderson (left) and David Cummins (right) (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
However, another veteran, Chris Anderson, also 68 and originally from Eastbourne, who was on the quarter deck of HMS Sheffield when it was hit by an Argentine Exocet missile, said Britain’s “air bridge” via Ascension Island means reinforcements could be sent to the Falklands “much, much faster”.
He also pointed out that Argentina’s armed forces are “not as capable as they were”.
Trump is “quite happy to be called a mad person”, Mr Anderson added.
His actions, the veteran believes, will not inspire others, but will instead have the opposite effect.
The veteran believes that what the President is doing now is “effectively what Britain did in ‘82 - stepped outside the global consensus”.
Ian Cameron, 68, lived in the Falkland Islands with his family for five years in the 1960s.
He has since returned three times, to visit the grave of his mother, Elizabeth Mary Cameron, who died aged 29, in Stanley Cemetery.
The islands are very dear to his heart as a result.
At the war memorial next to Thatcher Drive, a road named after Britain’s stoic wartime leader, Mr Cameron, who lives in Dundee, said, when asked if Argentine President Javier Milei could launch a strike, that he would not put it past the country to make a move while everyone else is focused on Iran.
Ian Cameron spent five years in the Falklands in the 1960s (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
“They’ll sneak in the back door,” the Scot added.
“And that scares me sometimes when I think about it.”
“We’ve got to keep it in reality that there’s always a chance,” Dan Biggs, 42, a tour operator and commanding officer in the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) said.
His family have been on the islands for 184 years.
“I don’t think they’re as prepared as they have been historically, but, yeah, there’s always a chance, and this rhetoric will continue, and I think we need to have a presence here, so that’s a deterrence, to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Cathy Jacobson, 67, originally from Southampton, has run The Victory pub with her husband, Alistair, for 42 years.
She said the Argentines "might try" to invade, but added: "I think they'd be pretty stupid to try, because I don't think they have the facilities to do it."
Tim and Sally Blake in their home in Stanley (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
The idea of having another go at taking over the Falklands must have crossed President Milei’s mind after Trump’s actions, said Tim Blake, 90, a former sheep farmer and member of the Falklands legislature, who was part of a pre-war delegation to Buenos Aires.
“If Putin can do it,” he added, his home near the famous bust of Mrs Thatcher, “Trump can do it. And nobody is saying no very loud.”
“He’s just out of control,” Mr Blake’s wife, Sally, 83, said, referring to the current occupant of the Oval Office.
She described the prospect as “terrifying”, and suggested a second attempted invasion would be a “war at a distance and [with] no control”, involving drones and missiles rather than boots on the ground.
On whether Milei could be encouraged by Trump's actions, Falklands veteran, Gary Clement MBE, 70, who served as a Royal Marine during the war in the Commando Logistics Regiment, said: "I don't know.
"You'd like to think not. We sort of get on day to day here, and everything goes on around us."
Sir Keir Starmer stands by the Falkland Islands' right to self-determination (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Argentina's President Milei has said he is not seeking another conflict with Britain.
He is pursuing a long-term diplomatic strategy to gain sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, with an aim to achieve a peaceful transfer similar to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong.
He told The Telegraph that the archipelago should return to Argentina only through negotiation and when islanders wish.
Milei said: “Whatever can be done to improve trade, I will do, taking the geopolitical risks into consideration.”
President Milei admitted to the BBC in 2024 that it could take decades to try to gain sovereignty of the islands from Britain.
He promised a “roadmap” for the territory to become part of Argentina, on the 42nd anniversary of the Falklands War.
The President slammed politicians who “beat their chests demanding sovereignty of the islands, but without any result”.
He added that Britain "might not want to negotiate today", but "at some later point they might want to".
"Many positions have changed over time."
Sir Keir Starmer said in his Christmas message to the Falkland Islands: "I’m proud of the bond that we share as one great British family.
"And I’m proud of the strong sense of community that unites us all. I know that is a big part of who you are on the Falkland Islands."
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He also pledged his "deep and enduring commitment to your right to self-determination and your democratic rights".
The Prime Minister added: "These are rights that my own uncle fought for when he served aboard HMS Antelope in 1982."
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